Worth The Wait
by cigarettesinthetheatre
Summary: Ezra just got dumped by his fiancee and Aria just found out her dad is still cheating on her mother. They both need a distraction from their thoughts. So what happens when they meet in a bar one night?  this is my first pll fanfic, not just "Ezria" based
1. Chapter 1

The flight back from Iceland had really taken its toll on me, because right now all I want to do is sleep. I walk in to my old bedroom and there are boxes scattered all over the place. It has been a whole year since my family uprooted our life and moved to Iceland. It has been a whole year since Alison went missing. But standing in this room, it feels as though it never happened and I'm going to go meet with the girls and Alison will be sitting in the middle, laughing at my stories from Iceland. I let out a huge sigh and rummage through my bag to find my phone.

_Hey it's Aria, I'm back from Iceland and really want to see you girls. Meet at the park at 2?_

I send to Spencer, Hanna and Emily, I hope they haven't changed their numbers. Luckily enough I get three replies almost instantly. They all agree to meet me; I want to catch up on everything I missed while I was gone. I check the time, I have just over an hour, just enough time to have a shower and change in to fresh clothes. I plug my iPod speakers in and turn my music up really loud and go have a shower and get ready to meet the girls. 

I walk to the park because I can't be bothered finding my keys, it was only a couple of blocks away and it would give me a chance to take in the Rosewood air. I notice that my favourite bakery had been replaced by a coffee shop; I stop just outside the door and look inside. It looks busy; if I wasn't in a hurry I'd stop and get a coffee. I begin to walk off when I run smack bang into the back of someone.

"I am so sorry; I wasn't looking where I was going." I apologize.

I look up to see a tall, blue eyed, dark brown haired gorgeous man looking down at me.

"No, its fine, I wasn't paying attention." He mumbles.

If I wasn't mistaken I swear I saw a tear run down his cheek. I stand there awkwardly.

"Sorry again" he says before rushing off.

"Aria!" I hear someone yell from the opposite direction.

I spin around to see Spencer coming toward me.

"I missed you!" she wraps her arms around me.

"I missed you too Spence, but you're strangling me" I laugh.

"Oops sorry." she let's go.

"What was that all about?" she asks, pointing in the direction of the man I just ran in to.

"I have no idea." I laugh and link arms with her and we walk the rest of the way to the park. 

Emily and Hanna run towards me with their arms outstretched, almost knocking me over as they both squeeze me.

"We missed you!" Emily says.

"Omg Aria, you look so different! So much older" Hanna hugs me.

"Aww guys" I squeal. We walk over to the spot under the tree. We always used to come here with Alison when we had to catch up on something we missed.

"So who wants to go first" I look around at them.

"Well as boring as it sounds, not much has changed since you left." Emily says.

"Except with Spencer" Hanna laughs.

"Spencer, what aren't you telling me?" I playfully growl at her.

"Well do you want the long story or the short story?" she asks.

"Short" Emily and Hanna say in unison.

"Short for now, you can tell me the long story another day" I laugh. Spencer sighs.

"Well. Melissa brought her new boyfriend over a couple of weeks after you left. We hung around a lot and he told me he was going to propose to Melissa, but then he met Me." she pauses.

I take a sharp intake of breath.

"Well, Melissa ran away with some other guy before he told her he didn't have feelings for her anymore." she sighs.

"Wow Spence" I say, my eyes wide.

"Well yeah, anyway, Wren and I have been happily dating for eight months now." she smiles.

"What? You guys are together? What did Melissa say?" I ask.

"She doesn't know" Spencer trails off. We all just sit there for a few moments, my phone buzzes and we all jump.

"Sorry guys it's my mum. She wants me home to unpack. I promise to tell you all about Iceland tomorrow at school." I say getting up.

"Oh and Spence, I want to meet Wren too" I smile before walking off. 

Once I get home I walk straight in to my parent's room to find my mum. But instead I can hear my dad on the phone. He didn't see me walk in so I walk back out and listen to his conversation.

"Meredith, we can't... No, only Aria knows about us... Ok I'll meet you in my office tomorrow morning... Nine o'clock it is." I hear him flick his phone shut.

"How could you!" I scream at him, walking in the room.

"Aria, it's not what you think. I would never do that again." he walks over and puts his hand on my shoulder.

"what in case you get caught by your daughter again?" I step away from him.

"No! What I did was a mistake. I have never contacted her before today" he pleads.

"Bullshit" I say, before storming out the room and slam the door behind me.

I need to get out of the house; I can't stand the thought of having to be in the same room as my lying, cheating father. I search through my suitcases full of clothes to find a nice dress and a pair of heels. I touch up my makeup and fix my hair and run out the door. Without thinking I pull up to a bar in Hollis, it seemed pretty busy, the perfect distraction. I walk in the room and I can't even hear myself think over the loud music and people talking, it's exactly what I need. I sit down on a bar stool and order myself a soda. My plan for tonight is to find someone who will buy me drinks, because getting drunk is what I need. I look down the row along the bar and lock eyes with a man. His blue eyes burn in to mine and his curly hair flopped over his face, there is something so familiar about him but I can't determine where I've seen him before. He raises his glass at me and walks over,

"So we meet again." He drunkenly smiles.

I remember now, we ran in to each other out the front of the coffee shop earlier today.

"Can I buy you a drink?" he asks.

"That would be lovely." I bite my bottom lip.

Perfect.


	2. Chapter 2

Ezra's POV

I walk in to the small coffee shop on the other side of town and sit down at a table. My fiancée walks in not long after me and sits down at the table opposite me. I lean over to kiss her on the cheek but she leans back, I raise an eyebrow to question what's going on.

"Ezra, I'm ending our relationship" she says bluntly.

I laugh, but realise she wasn't joking.

"What? Jackie, we are engaged! Why?" I stutter.

"I fell in love with another man" she looks away.

"How long, how long have you been seeing him?" I ask.

"Over eight months." I choke on my own breath.

How my own fiancée could be cheating on me for over eight months and I not even notice. Everything I once knew came crashing down, I am in love with Jackie and she just threw it all away.

"I didn't want to break your heart." she whispers with tears falling down her cheeks.

"Well it's a bit late for that!" I raise my voice.

She just sits there shaking her head; I get up out of my seat and storm out the coffee shop. I'm not watching where I'm going and accidentally run in to someone.

"I'm so sorry, I wasn't looking where I was going." a girl apologizes.

She has the most beautiful eyes.

"No it's fine, I wasn't paying attention." I mumble.

We stand there awkwardly, so much anger filling my body after what had just happened in the shop.

"Sorry again." I say, realizing I hadn't actually said sorry in the first place.

I quickly walk to my car; I sit in the driver's seat and grip the steering wheel until my knuckles have gone white. I just sit there staring at nothing in particular. I don't know how long passes before I'm jolted back to reality when someone taps on the window.

"What are you doing here Hardy?" I ask, rolling down my window.

"Jackie called me last night, telling me what she was going to do. So I got on the first flight this morning." he says softly.

"And you didn't think to warn me?" I sneered.

"I swore to her that I wouldn't" he sighs.

"So you took her side over your own best friend's? You didn't think I'd need a heads up about my fiancée breaking up with me?" my voice gets louder.

"Ezra, calm down" he puts his arm on my shoulder.

"Calm down? How can I calm down? My fiancée just ended our five year relationship because she fell in love with another man." at this point I'm shouting.

"Move over?" Hardy says sternly. I raise an eyebrow.

"Move to the passenger seat. You are in no shape to drive. I'll take you home and you can have a shower and get changed. Then I'm taking you to get drunk." he smiles at the last part.

At first I am a little hesitant but I let him take me home.

Later that night Hardy and I walk in to the bar at Hollis. I tried talking him out of it, telling him that it's my first day of teacher tomorrow and I couldn't turn up with a hangover. But he didn't take no for an answer. I sit down at a bar stool and Hardy orders us both beers. I take a large gulp, I can feel the cold liquid running down my throat. I need a distraction, something that will stop my heart from aching and my mind from taking trips down memory lane with Jackie. Karaoke? No that's too humiliating. I look around the room, absorbing everyone's faces. I have another three beers, by the second Hardy had already gone off with some woman. Maybe that's what I need to do. I am just about to talk myself out of it when I see her, the girl with the beautiful eyes. I catch her looking at me so I raise my glass in her direction. She smiles at me, so I walk over.

"So we meet again." I slur some words.

She looks confused, I'm just about to explain when I see a light bulb go off in her head, and she remembers me.

"Can I buy you drink?" I ask.

"That would be lovely." she bites her bottom lip.

I smile and order her a drink.

"I'm Ezra." I introduce myself.

"I'm Aria" she smiles shyly.

I lost count of how many drinks we've had, but we are laughing at all our small talk.

"Are you here to get away from someone?" Aria asks.

"More like get away from my own thoughts" I look down at my glass.

"What about you?" I ask.

"Trying to get away from someone for as long as I can." she says.

A song starts playing in the background and she gets up and pulls me from my seat. She starts dancing; I stand awkwardly and watch her. Even when I'm this drunk, I don't dance, ever. The only time I dance, is with Jackie. My mind wanders back to how happy I was with her. Then I can feel my heart breaking all over again.

"Stop thinking about her!" Aria laughs playfully.

She grabs my hands and twirls around under them. Her laugh filling the whole bar. She stops suddenly and runs to the bathroom. I go after her, just to make sure she is ok. I walk in to the female toilets, without hesitation. I find Aria washing her face.

"Remind me not to do that again." she laughs. She pulls me towards her; she sits on the sink bench and pulls me closer.

"Don't worry, I didn't vomit" she says and leans in towards me. I take a step back; I can't do this, not after my fiancée broke up with me less than twelve hours ago.

"What did I say before? Stop thinking about her." she pulls me back towards her.

"Let it all disappear." she whispers and I close the gap between our lips.

Our kisses become more heated and my thoughts of Jackie drift away every time our lips meet. I put my hands on her hips and she knots her fingers in my hair.

"Ezra, thank you for being my distraction." she whispers between kisses.

"You too Aria" I say before wrapping her legs around my waist.

My hands travel up her thighs and she gasps at the touch of my cold hands. I kiss her neck and she moans in delight. I start to lift her dress off when someone clears there throat in the doorway. I turn to see a middle aged woman with a hand on her hip.

"Get out." she yells.

"I'm sorry." I say embarrassed and rush out the toilets without looking back.

I walk out the bar and the cold air hits me, suddenly I didn't feel as drunk anymore. The memories of Jackie came flooding back and I remember what was happening just moments ago.

"What am I doing?"


	3. Chapter 3

Aria's POV

The annoying beeping of my alarm clock echoes through my room, I hide under the covers to block out the sound and the sun that's creeping through the curtains. The memories of last night come flooding back; I'm surprised I even remember what happened. I had practically offered my body to a man I had just met. But there was something about him, something that makes me want to get to know him. But he was broken; I could see it in his eyes. There was no shine, no happiness. They were empty. For some reason I wanted to be the reason his eyes sparkled with happiness. Even if it did take a while to get it back, I can just imagine how beautiful they'd be. From all the small talk, he seemed like a really genuine guy. He loved literature, reading and writing. Everything that I love. I wonder if I'll ever see him again. I didn't get any contact details or anything. But Rosewood is a fairly small town and I don't think there will be too many other Ezra's to worry about. My mission is to find him again.

I arrive at school thirty minutes before it started. I meet up with Hanna, Spencer and Emily so we can finish the stories we never got to yesterday. I sip my hot chocolate from the take away cup as we walk over to a table. Before I sit down Hanna grabs my arm.

"God Aria, Iceland was good to you. Look how good she looks in her jeans" she turns around to Spencer.

I blush a deep shade of red.

"Don't worry, I'm not turning all lesbian on you." she laughs but stops as soon as she starts.

"Shit sorry Em, I didn't mean it in a bad way." Hanna apologizes.

"It's fine Hanna" Emily shifts nervously in her seat.

Emily came out last year, we all supported her, but she still felt uncomfortable talking about it.

"So Spencer, please tell me more about Wren!" I say, changing the subject.

A dreamy look comes across her face at the mention of his name.

"Well he's British and his accent is so god damn sexy" she laughs.

"He just has to whisper her name in her ear and she gives it up to him" Hanna winks.

"Hanna!" Emily, Spencer and I all say in unison.

"We haven't done it yet and you know that! I'm not ready and he respects that." Spencer says.

"Like I said yesterday, I want to meet him as soon as possible." I smile at her.

"What about you Aria, any long distance boyfriends we should know about?" Emily asks.

"There was one guy, but it was just casual, we both knew it was going to end once I moved back. But he was so sweet." I smile.

"Plus, I already have my eye one someone" I wink at them.

"Who?" they all ask in unison as the bell rang.

"You'll have to wait until after first period now" I laugh and walk to my locker.

I can hear groans of annoyance trailing behind me.

I walk in to first period and sit at the desk in between Emily and Spencer and Hanna sat in front of me. I take out my new notebook; one of the best things about starting a new school year is getting new stationary. I look up to see a tall man with his back to us, writing his name on the blackboard. He had curly brown hair and was wearing black pants and a blue shirt. He turns around and I gasp. It was Ezra, the guy from the bar. Luckily I wasn't the only girl to gasp, he definitely got the girls attention because of his looks. I quickly look down at my desk and hope he hasn't noticed me yet. But just as I peek up again he sees me.

"Holy crap" he whispers but everyone hears.

We lock eyes and I can feel my cheeks getting hotter. Hanna spins around to look at me, which breaks mine and Ezra's moment. He makes up some excuse and continues on with the lesson.

"Please don't tell me that's mystery guy." Hanna whispers.

I don't reply, I just simply sink in to my seat and hope that this is all just a bad dream.

Later that night I asked the girls to sleep over at my house so I can tell them all about what happened the night before. I told my mum that they could help me unpack, so she was more than happy to let them stay. By eight o'clock the four of us were siting in a circle eating pizza. In between bites I told them all about Ezra and how I told him I would help him forget about whatever was troubling him. And that if that lady hadn't of walked in on us, I probably would have lost my virginity in the dirty bathroom of a bar. They all just stared at me, eyes wide, when I said the last bit.

"I'm sorry Aria, I'm just going to say it. But that sounds really slutty" Hanna says, taking another bite of her pizza.

"I was drunk guys." I say quietly.

"Aria, at least you didn't right?" Emily says and Spencer nods her head.

"What are you going to do?" Spencer asks.

"Well I really want to get to know him, help him get through whatever he is going through" Hanna chokes on her pizza.

"Not in that way Hanna" I growl at her.

"I think it's cute" Spencer smiles.

"What's with you two and older guys?" Hanna asks. Spencer and I look at each other and laugh.

"Aria, please just think about it. If you and Mr. Fitz start spending time together rumors will run wild. He could get in to a lot of trouble if he gets involved with a student." Emily says.

"I know Em, but there is just something about him." I trail off.

"He's hot" Hanna interrupts.

"Apart from that" I roll my eyes.

"I just want to get to know him." I sigh.

"How are you going to that?" Spencer asks.

"Well I did go overseas for a year. I think I might need some extra tutoring anyway" I smile, the plan seems legit enough.

"Oh how kinky." Hanna winks at me, in return she gets a pillow to her face.

We all burst out laughing at my spontaneous action.

I was glad to be back with my friends.


	4. Chapter 4

***I just wanted to take the time to say thank you to everyone who reads and reviews this story. It means so much to me knowing that you guys like it! I must say though, every time I check the reviews I get so scared that someone is going to say how much they hate it! But I'm always up for constructive criticism! **  
><strong>oh and HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE! :D p.s sorry this chapter is a bit on the short side.*<strong>

Aria's POV

A week has already passed and there has been no progress with Ezra at all. I had tried various times to catch his attention for a brief moment, but he avoided eye contact with me at all times. I even tried to stay behind after class but he always had another student with him. Something made me think that he'd keep them back after class, just so he didn't have to be face to face with me. I don't know why, we were both drunk and we didn't know the circumstances. If he just gave us the chance to talk, there wouldn't have to be the extreme awkwardness between us.

I get to English class determined to talk to Ezra, or at least ask him to talk with me after class and see what he says. The first thing I notice is that he isn't there, in his place stood a tall blonde woman. She sees the confusion on my face,

"Mr Fitz is running late, I'm his replacement until he gets here." I sit in my usual seat and zone out of the class.

Not until I saw him walk in to classroom all flustered did I snap out of my day dream. His hair is a mess, his clothes are all creased and he seems distant.

"I'm sorry for being late, I can assure you it won't happen again" he says before thanking the substitute and writing a question on the board.

But before anyone could answer, the bell rang.

"I didn't realise I was that late" he half smiles.

"We will continue this discussion next class" he turns around and rubs the question off the board.

I wait for everyone to leave before I approach him.

"Ezra, can we talk?" I ask. He looks around the classroom to see if anyone was still around.

"Aria, Mr Fitz would be more appropriate." he snaps under his breath.

I raise an eyebrow at him, wondering where his anger is coming from.

"You know what'd be more appropriate, if you and I actually talked about what happened that night at the bar." I whisper.

"Not now Aria." he sighs.

"Then when Ez.. Mr Fitz? When are you going to stop pretending I don't exist?" I ask.

"Come see me at lunchtime, we can talk then." he says before walking out the door.

That definitely did not go to plan.

As soon as it is lunch time I head straight over to Ezra's classroom. I knock on the door before entering. He is sitting at his desk eating a bowl of pasta and reading papers. He looks up at me; I take in every single one of his features. He was the most attractive man I've ever met and I was finding it hard to control my emotions. Ezra clears his throat

"Are you going to sit down Aria?" he motions to the empty seat opposite his.

I quickly look away and walk over to the seat.

"Mr Fitz, can we pretend that this morning never happened. I didn't mean to get snappy at you, I just got annoyed at the fact you made me call you Mr Fitz and not Ezra. Seeing as though I know you as Ezra and it just came naturally to me." I say in one big breath.

"I'm sorry too Aria, I just think it'd be more appropriate if you call me Mr Fitz during school hours." he sighs.

We sit there awkwardly, not knowing what to say next.

"Anyway, I wanted to ask you something this morning" I begin, he looks worried.

"I was wondering if you could tutor me. I've been in Iceland the past year and need to get back up to the level that's required." I wait nervously for his answer.

After what felt like eternity he answered.

"Sure Aria, we can work out times on Monday." he says hesitantly.

"Thank you Mr Fitz, it's going to help me a lot." I smile before walking out the classroom.

He actually agreed to tutor me.

I get home a little later than usual and my mother and Mike are sitting in the lounge room.

"What's that giant smile for?" she asks.

"Oh nothing, just remembering something funny Hanna said today. I asked my English teacher if he could maybe tutor me some days after school, just so I can catch up on stuff." I say.

"Aria, both your father and I are teachers, if you need help, you can just come to us" she looks at me worried.

"I know! It's just, I think it'd be better if it was my own teacher." I smile.

"What's his name?" she asks.

"Mr Fitz" I say.

Mike snorts next to her.

"Is that the one that all the girls think he is, the most gorgeous teacher they've ever seen" he says doing quotation signs with his fingers.

A smirk grows on my face;

"I honestly don't know what all the girls see in him" I lie.


	5. Chapter 5

***Hey guys, sorry I took so long to upload this, i think it was almost two weeks since the last part? Sorry!**

**But I'd also like to say thank you to everyone who keeps reviewing! and how AMAZING have the last two episodes of PLL been? **

**Anyway this chapter is a little bit longer than usual, to make up for the previous chapter which was a little bit shorter than usual ;)**

**Don't forget to review! x ***

Ezra POV

I love Saturdays. The fact that I get to sleep as long as I want and not have to worry about anything makes me ecstatic. I roll out of bed after twelve and stumble straight in to the shower. Just as I step out and wrap the towel around me waist I hear a knock at the door. As I get closer and the knocking turns into banging. I open it and almost slam it shut at the sight of Jackie's face, but she puts her hand against the door to stop me.

"What do you want?" I ask.

"For you to let me in." she says.

I step aside from the doorway and motion towards the couch. She walks straight over and plonks down on what used to be her spot. There were so many times we stayed up doing assignments together or just watching boring romantic movies with crap actors.

"Ezra" Jackie snaps me out of my daydream.

"Come sit." she taps on the spot next to her.

"It'd be better if you sat." she said sternly.

I roll my eyes and sit next to her. She grabs both my hands, her touch so familiar I don't bother pulling back.

"Ezra, I'm pregnant." she says calmly.

I rip my hands away and jump out of the seat.

"But I don't know if it's yours" she says before I get a word in.

I process what she actually just said.

"So what you are saying is that I could be a father but you aren't sure" I raise my tone a level.

"Yes, that's correct" she says.

"How can you be so calm about this?" I snap.

"Because I'm keeping this baby and if it is yours, and you don't want anything to do with it I'm fine with that." she stands up and walks to the door.

"Jackie, if it is mine, I want to be a part of its life." I say.

She nods and let's herself out of the apartment.

I need to get out of this apartment, clear my head and calm down. It's my day off and I shouldn't be stressing over something that might not even have anything to do with me. I put on a pair of baggy shorts and a t-shirt and go for a jog. Jogging used to help when I was in college. It helped me clear my head and focus. As soon as I leave the apartment building the afternoon sun hits me, I hadn't realized it had got so warm out today.  
>The further I run the more each thought slowly disappears from my head. As I pass the local basketball courts someone calls my name, I look up to see one of my students.<p>

"Hey Mr Fitz, wanna play some ball?" he asks jogging over to me.

"I'd love to, but I should probably head home." I lie.

"Come one, just a game." he says eagerly.

I suppose going home to my empty apartment would just fill my mind again.

"Ok sure." I smile as we jog back over to the group.

"Ok you can be with Jeremy, Sam, Josh, JJ and Alex, against me, Max, Jordan, Billy, Cam and Montgomery." The last name catches my attention.

"Montgomery? Any relation to Aria?" I ask the shorter boy, who looks a few years younger than everyone else.

"Yeah, she's my sister." he says awkwardly.

"Yeah your hot sister!" one of the boys says, which lands him a punch in the arm.

After two games of basketball, the boys decide they want to go get pizza; I decline their offer to go with them. Instead I just stay at the courts running some laps, the rain doesn't faze me, and to be honest it makes me even calmer.

"Ezra?" I hear someone call out.

I look up to see none other than Aria Montgomery herself.

"Hello Aria." I say once I reach her.

"Hey have you seen my brother, I dropped him off earlier and forgot to give him the house key. He's about this tall" she points to just above her height.

"Yeah actually I was playing basketball with him before, he and some other boys went together pizza" I say.

"Ok thanks." she begins to walk back to her car.

"Ezra, why are you jogging in the rain?" she asks.

"It calms me down; I was just about to head home." I say, a little embarrassed.

"Well did you want a lift?" she asks as the rain gets heavier, her hair sticking to her face.

"Aria, you know that.." I begin.

"Ezra, I'm just offering to drive you home, don't think of it as anything else." she cuts me off.

"Ok, thank you" I say and walk to the passenger side.

"I'll just drop these to mike then you can give me directions" she smiles.

We pull up to my apartment building; there is so much awkward tension between us. I don't want to go back inside, knowing that I'll just sit around thinking about what happened earlier with Jackie.

"Is everything alright?" Aria asks me, I can hear the concern in her voice.

"Just some news I got earlier today." I say.

"Do you want to talk about it?" she asks.

"Not really" I mumble.

I actually really did want to talk about it, but that small voice in my head kept repeating _she's your student, you are her teacher, and she is sixteen_ over and over again. I was about to open the door when I pushed the voice aside.

"Actually Aria, I know this is really absurd but would you like to come in? I think I do want to talk about it." I say.

A warm smile spreads across her face.

"I'd love to." she says grabbing her bag.

She follows me up the stairs and in to my apartment. The whole time I am kicking myself because the voice came back and I realize how stupid this is. How much trouble I could get in to if someone sees us and jumps to conclusions. I hear a sharp intake of breath and turn around to face her.

"Your apartment is amazing" she grins at me.

"Oh, well thank you" I say awkwardly.

"Did you want to freshen up?" I ask, after realising that we are both still saturated from being in the rain earlier.

"Yeah, I actually have a change of clothes in my bag, I was meant to stay at Spencer's tonight." She explains.

I direct her to the bathroom and then go in to my bedroom to change in to a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. What have I done? The girl I met at a bar that I almost had sex with, is now my English student and is currently in my shower. I shake my head hoping the thoughts go away and I go back in to the kitchen and start to make pasta, it was almost dinner time and I was hungry.

"Something smells delicious." I look up and Aria was walking towards me.

"It's one of the few things I know how to make" I smile.

I serve up the pasta and we go sit on the floor.

"I'm sorry about the lack of furniture." I apologize, embarrassed.

"I don't mind." She smiles warmly.

After five minutes of silence, apart from the sound of our forks hitting the bowls, Aria breaks the tension.

"Did you want to talk about that news, the one that you wanted to talk about earlier?" she asks.

I remember what the news she is talking about was and I freeze.

"It's ok if you've changed your mind, I understand" she says with sympathy in her eyes.

"Well, my ex-fiancé who ended it with me because she fell in love with someone else came over." I pause to see Aria's reaction, her eyes widen slightly but apart from that, she is still listening carefully.

"She told me she was pregnant, but she doesn't know if the father is me or her lover." I trail off towards the end of the sentence.

I hear her let out a small sigh. I instantly feel bad for dropping this on her, even though it has nothing to do with her or affect her in any way.

"I'm sorry if I made you feel uncomfortable." I mumble.

"No, no not at all. It's just I don't know what to say." She says softly.

"It's ok Aria, It actually feels good just getting it out of my system." I smile at her.

She smiles back warmly at me. Her phone buzzes from her bag and she jumps up to get it.

"Hey Spencer... Yeah I know I got held up... I'll be there later... Ok I'll call you when I leave" she hangs up and comes at sits back down opposite me.

"Aria, please don't stay on my account. If you are needed with your friends, I understand." I say.

"It's alright Ezra, I actually like being here." She smiles.

The alarm bells start ringing again, the voice creeps back and I once again question what is going on right in front of me. We were both sitting in my apartment eating pasta and talking casually. If anyone saw us right now, they'd think we were on a date. A date is far from what I wanted her to think this was.

"Aria, I don't mean to sound abrupt, but I hope you understand that there is nothing going on here." I say awkwardly, avoiding eye contact.

"I understand the circumstances Ezra. But I also know that we have a connection. That night in the bar I felt something, something strong." She says, staring in to my eyes.

I don't say anything; I just sit there like a stone, waiting for a sentence to form. But instead she gets up and grabs her bag and heads towards the door.

"Aria, you don't have to leave." I say, getting up after her.

"I have to go; I just admitted that I have feelings for you and that made you uncomfortable. So I think I should leave." She sighs.

"I'm not uncomfortable." I say.

"Yes you are. Ezra, I don't know about you, but whatever there is between us, I don't want to fight it." She says before leaving.

I close the door behind her and let out a large sigh and for the first time I realised that she was right. What Aria had said about there being a connection between us was completely true, and I didn't want to fight it either.


End file.
